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Ask Kristine Lilly
Melissa Dziowgo, Piscataway, N.J. Before and after practices and games, national team players stretch for 15 to 20 minutes. We start with hamstrings, then do quads, glutes and calves. Hamstrings: Stand with legs far apart, bend to touch the ground between your feet; then touch your left toes with your right hand, right toes with left hand. Quads: Standing on one leg, grab the opposite foot and pull it toward your butt until you feel a stretch. Glutes: Sitting, grab one shin with both hands and pull it in to your chest until you feel a stretch in your glutes and the outside of your leg. Calves: Stand about six inches from a wall, one foot in front of the other; hands on wall, lean into it until you feel a stretch in your back leg. Do you eat differently before a game?
We don't eat any special foods, but our trainers are always after us to eat more! Because of the intensity of our training and games, we should eat about 2,500 calories a day. Since our last meal is four hours before a game, I snack on a banana or an energy bar about an hour before. Our pregame meals include fruit, veggies, meat (usually chicken) and pasta. Plus we make sure we refuel within two hours after a game or a practice. How do you mentally prepare to play in front of thousands of people?
Whenever I'm getting ready to play -- whether it's before a crowd of hundreds or thousands -- I listen to music to get into my own world. I like both mellow and upbeat songs, like stuff from the Indigo Girls, Barenaked Ladies and REM. I often make my own mixes with my favorite songs at the time. I also have a tape that our team's sports psychologist, Colleen Hacker, made for me. Basically it's background music with a voice repeating phrases that help build confidence and let me visualize how I want to feel on the field, such as "I want the ball" and "Make a difference." Since Colleen started working with us, in 1996, I've realized psychological preparation is as important as physical training. I'm a high school freshman and I think I can make varsity, but I don't want to leave the friends I play with. What should I do?
Go for it. Your friends and teammates will still be there for you. Plus you'll make new friends. When I played varsity as a freshman, I had only one friend with me, but I knew I wanted to play with the best. I kept my other friends, and we all cheered for one another. If you want to make varsity, work hard at it. If your friends work hard too, all of you may make it. Just don't compromise your dreams. How can I improve accuracy and distance on my throw-ins?
Practice. Grab a teammate to be your "target." To avoid injury, warm up first. When our team practices, we jog across the field, rotating our arms as we go. When you're ready, take aim, hold the ball with both hands behind your head and, keeping your feet on the ground, follow through. After a few throws, have your partner move farther away. You can use a light medicine ball (three to five pounds) to help build arm and shoulder muscles.
Kristine's Olympic Diary
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